Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-07-01-Speech-1-061"
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"en.20020701.5.1-061"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, what actually are biofuels? Biofuels are fuels capable of replacing conventional fuels or of being mixed with them, and which are derived from the processing or fermentation of various non-fossil biological materials. The reason I say this is that we should always explain what we are talking about. Bioethanol and biodiesel are the biofuels most in use at present. Whilst the two of them are virtually equally profitable, they cannot compete with fuels derived from oil. The profitability of biofuels is manifestly dependent, on the one hand, on producing the maximum quantity from the best-quality production process and, on the other, on its price. While I am on the subject of biodiesel, I would like to mention that it is derived from plant oils – rapeseed, sunflower, soya and palm for example – which are mainly grown in regions of the EU and can also be used as animal feedingstuffs.
Being a convinced advocate of the environmentally-responsible market economy, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome the possibility of Member States levying duties at less than the stipulated minimum rates on products composed of biofuels. As the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee has already done, though, I do also insist that this concession must also include complete exemption from duty for pure biofuels over a specific period of time.
Why do we demand this? We demand it because we have to guarantee that biofuels will be able to compete against petroleum. Its additional costs are at present around EUR 0.30 per litre. Another reason is that biofuels are CO2-neutral and therefore contribute substantially to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to achieving the Kyoto commitments. Thirdly, they help us achieve the objective we have set ourselves, of Europe becoming self-sufficient in energy; not only are we currently excessively dependent on petroleum imports, but it is calculated that we will be 85% dependent on them by 2020. Fourthly, biofuels are an indigenous energy resource for the EU in the same way as are the other renewable energy sources and coal. We know ourselves today to be taking a step in the direction of a strengthened environmentally responsible market economy."@en1
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